Melania Trump has told troops to brace for a brave new world of robots on the battlefield in a speech described by critics as ‘dystopian.’
The First Lady was speaking to military personnel and their families at Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina, on Wednesday.
Melania said that AI represented the most profound change to warfare since the creation of nuclear weapons and warned that the race for the technology was not one that America could afford to lose.
‘Artificial intelligence is propelling America’s military into a new era. We are moving from human operators to human overseers – fast,’ the First Lady said.
‘The shift from soldiers to machines is already underway. Autonomous helicopters, swarming drones, and recon aircraft are here now. Fighter-less jets and autonomous bombers are on the way.’
‘To win the AI war, we must train our next generation, for it’s America’s students who will lead the Marine Corps in the future,’ Melania said.
The First Lady continued, ‘Technology is changing the art of war … AI will alter war more profoundly than any technology since nuclear weapons.
‘The most significant change will be speed. Speed in weaponry, decision-making, detection, attack, and defense. Artificial intelligence will take center stage in the theater of war, it already plays a meaningful role on the battlefield.
‘Of course, it is the Marine who will always play the most critical role in realizing mission success.’